Radon in well water a secondary path, with a 2,000 Bq/L cue
Most indoor radon comes from the soil under the slab. Water is a distant second, except in some houses on a private well. Health Canada treats the risk of swallowing radon in water as negligible: the gas leaves at the faucet. It can raise the air in the kitchen and the shower.
Canadian guidance on radiological parameters: if indoor air already exceeds 200 Bq/m³ as an annual average, investigate the source, including water. If water exceeds 2,000 Bq/L, reduce the radon it releases into the air. Treated municipal water is usually very low. A low air test does not call for a water test “just in case.”
Order of work
Test the air first. If the air is high and the house is on a well, test the water. Aeration is the treatment used to strip radon from water before it enters the house. A jug filter is not that treatment.
References: Health Canada, radon: what you need to know and the 200 Bq/m³ guideline. The two-year window between 200 and 600, and the one-year window above 600, come from Health Canada’s guide for radon measurements in homes.
The 4-day test is a first reading. The 91-day test covers the minimum of three months Health Canada asks for. Both are $59 before tax. Shipping, the prepaid return and the lab are included. Tax is extra. The PDF report goes out within 2 business days after the lab receives the detector.
Above 200 Bq/m³, mitigation starts with a quote. Gaz Radon is C-NRPP certified for testing and for installation, and ships kits across Canada.
Sources
